LESSON PLAN Gender equality in politics Learning outcome 3.10 Investigate how individuals or groups have used the law to bring about change in society Students will learn About gender equality among elected representatives How gender quotas have influenced this About the local, national, European and global aspect of this issue Materials Slide show Infographics: Women in Parliament – one copy, three infographics in total Worksheet 1: World café – Women in Parliament – one for each group, three in total Worksheet 2: Thoughts on gender equality in Irish politics – one for each student Assessment for learning/Key skills Communicating Working with others Managing information and thinking Junior Cycle CSPE | A Citizenship Course 01 Lesson plan | Gender equality in politics | www.oireachtas.ie/education
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LESSON PLAN
Gender equality in politicsLearning outcome 3.10Investigate how individuals or groups have used the law to bring about change in society
Students will learn
About gender equality among elected representatives
Howgenderquotashaveinfluencedthis
About the local, national, European and global aspect of this issue
Materials
Slide show
Infographics: Women in Parliament – one copy, three infographics in total
Worksheet 1: World café – Women in Parliament – one for each group, three in total
Worksheet 2: Thoughts on gender equality in Irish politics – one for each student
Assessment for learning/Key skills
Communicating
Working with others
Managing information and thinking
Junior Cycle CSPE | A Citizenship Course
01Lesson plan | Gender equality in politics | www.oireachtas.ie/education
Recap the Acts discussed in the lesson How laws change society. Focus on the Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Act 2012 and the changes it is hoped it will bring about.
Note: The Act provided that political parties would face a cut of half their State funding if they did not have at least 30% women and 30% men candidates at the next general election. In the general election of 2016 all parties met the 30% threshold and a record number of women TDs were elected. The required proportion of women and men will increase to 40% from February 2023.
Ask students to consider the issue of gender balance among our elected representatives.
2 World café
SLIDE 5
Make three workstations, each with a different infographic on Women in Parliament (see pages 5-7).
Divide the class into three groups and give each group a copy of Worksheet 1: Women in Parliament (see page 8). Ask each group to go to one of the three workstations,readtheinfographictogether,choosethreefactswhichtheyfindmost interesting and write them into the worksheet.
Afterfiveminutes,askstudentstomoveinaclockwisedirectiontothenextworkstation until each group has visited each station and completed their worksheet.
SLIDE 6
Ask students to read through the information they have gathered and summarise their thoughts on how gender equality in the Oireachtas has evolved since the 1918generalelection.Invitestudentstosummarisetheirfindingsinaformatoftheirchoiceandreportbacktotheclass.Recordthefindingsontheslide.
Lesson plan | Gender equality in politics | www.oireachtas.ie/education 02
3 How to improve women’s representation in the Oireachtas
SLIDE 7
The Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality Defence and Women’s Rights SecondReportonWomen’sParticipationinPolitics,October2009,identifiedthe“Five Cs” that pose challenges to women’s participation in parliamentary politics internationally.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland commissioned a report on women’s representationonlocalcouncilsinNovember2019.Itidentifiedthat:
Only 28% of candidates in the 2019 local elections were women, and they won 24% of the seats
Local government experience is a key step towards election to the Dáil, especially for women
Note:Tofindoutaboutrecommendationsforincreasingwomen’srepresentationin local government, read the report: www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/_NWCI_Research_Report_WEB.pdf
SLIDE 9
Brainstorm what can be done to improve gender equality among elected representatives in Ireland. Write the students’ ideas on the slide.
SLIDES 10-15
Outline some of the initiatives which are in place.
4 Worksheet 2: Thoughts on gender equality in Irish politics
SLIDE 16
Give each student a copy of Worksheet 2: Thoughts on gender equality in Irish politics(seepage9)andaskthemtoreflectindividuallyongenderequalityinIrish political life, past, present and future.
03Lesson plan | Gender equality in politics | www.oireachtas.ie/education
Extension activitiesChoose another country and compare the number of female elected representatives with Ireland: https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking
Choose one of the initiatives outlined in Slides 10-15 and investigate it further.
Watch the Oireachtas TV documentary In Our Own Words and complete the worksheet.
Note: You could use the videos, podcasts and information on www.oireachtas.ie/votail100 as the basis for an extended study of gender and politics in Ireland. This could be particularly suitable as a project for transition year students.
04Lesson plan | Gender equality in politics | www.oireachtas.ie/education